


Would You Rather

by marichatting



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Fluff, Sleepovers, lowkey everyone in this is bi, marinette is a big chat noir fan, mentions of underaged sex, nino is the light of my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 00:11:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15521781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marichatting/pseuds/marichatting
Summary: Adrien is determined to prove Marinette wrong after she calls Chat Noir a dork, and a game of Would You Rather goes awry.





	Would You Rather

**Author's Note:**

> This fic puts my total word count over 100k words! Hooray!
> 
> My goal was to have this published when it was still July, and I missed my deadline, but only by about three hours.
> 
> I need to go to sleep before my eyes fall out of my head. Goodnight.

It was a well-known fact in their class that Marinette was a Chat Noir fan.

It had only taken a few sneering comments from Chloé about Chat being the inferior superhero for the petite girl to snap, and no one in their class would ever forget the rage she had unleashed upon the blonde that day.

However, it was also a well-known fact in their class that Marinette was _not_ attracted to him.

This was revealed a mere week after the incident with Chloé. One of the other girls in their class had made a comment about how good-looking the hero was- Adrien had had a difficult time explaining to Nino why he was blushing so hard after hearing that- and how lucky Ladybug was to be with him, and Marinette had let out a snort.

“What?” Alya had said to her. “You _don’t_ think he’s attractive? You’re one of the biggest Chat Noir fans I know; I figured _you,_ of all people, would have a crush on him.”

Marinette had merely shrugged nonchalantly as Adrien watched curiously. They had some free time in class that day, so most of the girls were gathered together and chatting, and Marinette had her back to Adrien.

“I mean, yeah, he’s _physically_ attractive,” she said. “I’m not blind. Obviously, he’s attractive. But he’s kind of… a dork.”

Adrien furrowed his brow. He wasn’t a dork. Was he?

“A dork?” Alya repeated incredulously. “You think Chat Noir is a _dork?”_

“You _don’t?”_ Marinette said back. “I mean, obviously I don’t know much about him, but I’ve seen interviews, and I _have_ met him before. And so have you.”

“But- but- how can you think a superhero is a _dork?”_ Alya asked with a furrowed brow.

“Maybe because he _is?”_ Marinette said. “I mean, he flirts _incessantly_ with Ladybug, he thinks he’s a lot more charming than he actually is, and he tells about a hundred cat puns a minute.”

“Are you _seriously_ saying that you wouldn’t date Chat Noir if you had the chance?” Alya said in shock.

“Yep,” Marinette said. “I am _seriously_ saying that. I mean, yeah, he’s a really good-looking guy, and he’s cute, but… he’s just not my type.”

Adrien scowled. _Not her type? What?_

It nagged at him for the rest of the day. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he couldn’t get her words out of his mind.

It wasn’t that he particularly cared about being attractive to girls; he was a model, after all, so, as conceited as it sounded, that had never really been an issue for him. And, while the general image of Chat Noir seemed to be that he was a flirtatious player, he really only flirted with Ladybug, and _she_ was the only girl he cared to woo.

So why did Marinette’s words linger in his mind?

It was a matter of pride, he finally decided. He was _not_ a dork, and the fact that she thought he _was_ kept nagging at him.

Say what you want about Chat Noir- that he’s flirtatious, that he’s a womanizer, that he’s not as good as Ladybug, even that is puns are bad- but he is _not_ a dork.

So, that night, when her words were _still_ lingering in his brain, he decided that he had to prove himself.

That was how he found himself landing behind her on her balcony and crossing his arms.

He cleared his throat, and she spun around in surprise.

“Chat Noir,” she breathed in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“I am _not_ a dork,” he scowled.

A look of confusion crossed over her face before being followed by realization. “You heard about that, huh?”

“Yep,” he said. “And I came here to tell you that I am _not_ a dork.”

Marinette sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I said that. It was rude of me, and if I had known that it would somehow get back to you, I wouldn’t have said it.”

Chat nodded stiffly. “Okay, thank you. Now say I’m not a dork.”

Marinette hesitated and bit her bottom lip.

Chat groaned. “Oh, come on! What is it about me that you think is so dorky?!”

“Hm,” Marinette said, pressing a finger to her lips and pretending to think. “Maybe the fact that you _came to my house_ to try to convince me that you’re _not_ a dork?”

Chat scowled, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. Maybe that _was_ a bad call on his part. It didn’t exactly help his case.

“I am _not_ a dork,” he grumbled.

“You keep saying that, but your behavior pretty much _all_ the time says otherwise.”

“Oh, no,” he responded. “Not all the time. I am _much_ different outside of the mask.”

Marinette snorted. “Less _dorky,_ I hope.”

He stomped his foot on the ground angrily. “I am not _dorky!”_

“I’m sorry,” Marinette laughed. “But you look like you’re five years old when you do that.”

“I- I do not,” he said defensively. “I’m a man.”

Marinette hummed. “A man who’s, what, fifteen?”

He huffed. “Sixteen,” he corrected her under his breath.

“Sorry,” she said with a shrug. “But I can’t help it. You _are_ dorky. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing; dorkiness can be cute.”

Chat smirked and took a step toward her. “Are you saying you think I’m cute, Marinette?”

Marinette scoffed, but her cheeks turned just slightly pink. “No. I said that dorkiness _can_ be cute, not that it’s _always_ cute.”

“Is that so?” he said. She nodded, and his sly smirk grew. “Because the same person who told me that you said I was a dork _also_ told me that you said I was both a ‘really good-looking guy’ _and cute.”_

Marinette scowled. “Who is telling you this stuff?”

“Do you really think I’m going to answer that question?”

Marinette shrugged. “Thought it was worth a shot.”

“Now, my informant _also_ told me that you said that I think I’m more charming than I actually am,” he said slowly. “And I have to tell you that you’re wrong about that.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “Am I?”

He gave her a fiendish grin and took her hand in his gloved one. “I don’t _think_ I’m charming,” he said, bowing and kissing her knuckles softly, then looking back up at her with the most devilishly handsome look he could muster up- which, he was proud to say, was _very_ devilishly handsome- and winking at her. “I _know_ I’m charming.”

Marinette snorted. “Okay, sure. That little move of yours didn’t really help your case, you know.”

Chat scowled. “What are you talking about? That was _super_ suave.”

Marinette laughed. “Sure, Chat- whatever you need to tell yourself to get to sleep at night.”

The petite girl patted him on the shoulder and moved past him, walking toward the trapdoor that led to her bedroom.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he said. “I am _determined_ to prove to you that I am not a dork.”

“Well, you’re not doing a great job of it,” she said, turning back around to face him.

“Well, then, I guess we’ll just have to spend some more time together so that you can realize how _cool_ I am.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and turned back to face the trapdoor in the floor of the balcony. “Whatever, Chat.”

She climbed down through the trapdoor, leaving Chat standing alone on the balcony.

After a moment, she poked her head back through the door. “Are you coming in or what?”

He grinned.

***

That night, they spent _hours_ talking and goofing around together.

It was strange; Marinette was usually so shy and reserved around him- well, Adrien- but with Chat, she was different. It wasn’t a bad thing by any means; he liked the way she acted around him as Chat. She was more confident, more carefree, less timid. It was nice getting to see her acting this way.

“Well, it’s getting late,” he said after a while, standing from his place on her chaise and making his way toward the trapdoor above her bed. “I should be getting home. Did I convince you of my non-dorkiness?”

“Nope,” she said with a smile. “You might have to come back tomorrow night and try again.”

A small smile grew on his face. “I’ll see you then, Princess.”

***

His visits to her house continued for several weeks.

He still couldn’t seem to convince her that he wasn’t a dork, but he didn’t really mind anymore. He just liked spending time with her.

In a platonic way, of course. He liked spending time with her the same way he liked spending time with Nino, and it didn’t _matter_ that half the people in their grade thought that he and Nino were dating, because they _weren’t,_ they were just really close friends, and that was the same way he felt about Marinette. Platonic.

He and Marinette were bros now. Hanging out with her was just like hanging out with one of the guys, except that she was way prettier than any of the guys he knew. Nathaniel came close, though.

***

About two and a half months after Chat Noir’s first visit to Marinette’s house, Alya had her seventeenth birthday party.

Almost everyone in their class came to her party, but only Marinette, Nino, and Adrien were invited to stay the night.

It had taken quite a bit of convincing for Nathalie to allow Adrien to spend the night, but she had finally agreed after Adrien threatened to go to a cheap tanning booth with bad reviews if she wouldn’t let him go. Adrien had never been a very rebellious child, but she had been losing more and more control over him in the past few years as he grew older and became fed up with his treatment. Despite his generally obedient behavior, she had her doubts that he _wouldn’t_ fulfill his promise of going to a bad-quality tanning booth if she didn’t let him go to the sleepover, and she had no doubt whatsoever that _she_ would be blamed if Adrien Agreste showed up at his next photoshoot looking like a tangerine.

So, Adrien got to go to the sleepover.

It was fun, though he was a bit disappointed about Marinette’s behavior around him. They had so much fun together when he was Chat, and while they _did_ have fun together when he was Adrien, it wasn’t the same. She was so different around him for some reason.

A couple of hours into the sleepover, Alya proposed a game of Would You Rather, and Nino and Marinette both groaned.

“What?” Alya said. “You guys don’t like Would You Rather?”

“It’s not that we don’t like the game,” Marinette said. “It’s just that we don’t like playing it with _you.”_

Nino nodded in agreement. “I swore to myself that I would never play that game with you again.” His eyes got a faraway look in them. “Not after the last time.” He shuddered.

Alya rolled her eyes. “Oh, come _on,_ guys. It’s not that bad.”

“Yes, it is,” Nino and Marinette said together.

Alya huffed. “Fine, whatever; I’ll go easy on you guys, okay? Nothing too crazy.” The two of them gave her skeptical looks, and she raised three fingers on her right hand. “Scout’s honor.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes. “Alya… you’re not a girl scout.”

Alya shrugged. “So, are you guys in, or not?”

Marinette and Nino exchanged a look, finally giving sighs of resignation.

“Fine, whatever,” Nino grumbled.

Alya gave a squeal of excitement.

***

Adrien had never played Would You Rather before- after all, being locked away from civilization for most of his childhood didn’t grant him many opportunities to play sleepover games with the friends he didn’t have- but it was pretty easy to understand.

After a few questions from Alya, though, he was beginning to understand why Nino and Marinette didn’t want to play it with her.

“Okay,” Alya said slowly when it was her turn again after a few rounds. “Would you rather… bang Ladybug or Chat Noir?”

Adrien and Marinette’s faces both turned bright red.

Alya rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you two are the _epitome_ of the ‘blushing virgin’ stereotype.”

Adrien scowled. “Hey, wh- who said I’m a virgin?”

Alya raised her eyebrows and was silent for a moment. “Aren’t you?”

Adrien hesitated for a moment, then hung his head. “Yeah.”

Alya laughed. “You can’t fool me, Agreste. Now, answer the question, Golden Boy.”

He huffed. “Ladybug.”

“Ladybug,” Nino agreed.

“Same here,” Alya said. “Mari?”

Her face was still red. “Ch- Chat Noir,” she mumbled.

Adrien’s face was _burning._

“Interesting choice,” Alya mused. “And I know it’s genuine and not just ‘I have to pick the guy because I’m a Straight Girl’ because you already told me about your thing for Vanessa Hudgens.”

Adrien’s eyes went wide, and he glanced over at Marinette, who was blushing even harder than he was.

_“Alya,”_ she hissed.

“What?” Alya said. “It’s not like they don’t know you like girls- you came out as bi a year ago, remember?”

“You didn’t have to tell them about Vanessa Hudgens, though,” she grumbled, crossing her arms. “And anyway, that was, like, three years ago.”

“Hey, wait, I thought you said you weren’t attracted to Chat Noir,” Alya said with a furrowed brow.

Marinette looked like she was going to combust. “I- I- I said I would rather bang him than Ladybug. That doesn’t mean I want to, like, _date_ him.”

Alya raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Wow, Marinette- I never pegged you as someone who was into casual sex.”

Marinette scowled. “Shut up.”

“So, what is it you like about Chat Noir?” Alya asked. “What makes him so bangable?”

At this point, Adrien’s entire face was beet-red, and Marinette’s matched.

“He- he’s a good-looking guy,” she mumbled.

“Yes, but _what_ about him is good looking? I need specifics here.”

“I- I don’t know,” she said, looking anywhere except her friends’ eyes. “I like his hair.”

Alya quirked an eyebrow skeptically. “You want to bang him because you like his hair?”

“I mean, his hair does have a certain… _sexual quality_ to it,” Nino said.

“It looks like he just rolled out of bed after a one-night stand, I know,” she said, waving it off. “But I don’t think that’s the only thing Marinette likes about him.”

Marinette sighed. “He has good abs,” she conceded quietly.

This girl was going to kill him. If she said one more thing that she liked about his alter-ego’s body, he was going to drop dead in the middle of Alya’s bedroom, and then-

“A nice butt, too.”

That was it. He was dead. His soul had departed his body, and he was currently watching the scene unfold before him from another plane of existence in the few fleeting moments before his lifeless body would topple to the ground, effectively alerting his friends to the fact that he was, in fact, deceased.

_“Ooh,”_ Alya giggled. “Sounds like our little Marinette has a not-so-innocent crush.”

She scowled. “I do _not.”_

“Oh, _please,_ Mari,” Alya scoffed. “You just all but said that you want to screw Chat Noir.”

“I did not! Just because he’s hot-“

“Oh, so you think he’s hot, huh?” Alya grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

Marinette huffed and rolled her eyes. “Yes, Alya,” she scowled. “I think Chat Noir is hotter than the sun itself. He’s a sex god. I don’t know if I would be able to control myself around him without giving into my desires.”

Alya scowled at her friend. “No need to get so sarcastic.”

***

The rest of the sleepover was mostly free of any discussion regarding Chat Noir’s sex appeal, and Adrien was thankful for that.

That night, he lay awake long after Nino had fallen asleep. The two of them were in their sleeping bags in the living room, while the girls were in Alya’s room sharing her bed.

He had never really thought about Marinette as more than a good friend, but after their game of Would You Rather, he couldn’t _not_ consider the possibilities.

She definitely found him- well, Chat Noir- physically attractive. She had made that much clear.

But was it even remotely possible that she could feel a romantic attraction toward him as well?

What would it be like if she _did?_ What would it be like to kiss her? What would it be like to hold her hand? What would it be like to cuddle her and hold her when she was sad? What would it be like to be her boyfriend?

Adrien hugged his pillow tightly to his chest and felt his cheeks grow warm as he imagined being more than friends with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

***

Over the course of the next month, Adrien slowly began to come to terms with the fact that he might have feelings for someone other than Ladybug.

He also fell harder for Marinette each and every time he visited her as Chat Noir.

“Nino,” he said slowly to his best friend one day when they were alone in Adrien’s bedroom. “I… think I have a crush on someone.”

“Ladybug, I know,” Nino said, not taking his eyes off of his phone screen. “You’ve talked about her nonstop for, like, three years, bro.”

“No,” he said, his face flushing. “Not Ladybug.”

Nino looked up at him; he had caught his interest. “Then… who?”

Adrien didn’t respond.

“Do they go to our school?” Nino prompted him.

Adrien nodded.

“Do I know them?”

Adrien nodded again.

“Well, who is it? Rose? Nath? Aurore? Luka?” Nino stopped with a groan. _“Please_ tell me it’s not Chloé.”

“It’s not Chloé,” he assured him, and Nino gave a sigh of relief. “It’s… Marinette.”

Nino’s eyes went wide in shock. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

Nino stood from his chair excitedly. “Dude, that’s awesome! Seriously, Alya is going to lose her _mind_ when she finds out. She is going to go absolutely _nuts.”_

“Alya can’t find out,” Adrien said.

Nino stopped and gave him a questioning look. “Why?”

“Because I’m afraid she’ll tell Marinette.”

Nino narrowed his eyes. “You mean… _you’re_ not going to tell Marinette?”

“No.”

Nino stared at him as if he had just told him he regularly donned a skin-tight leather catsuit and ran across the rooftops of Paris carrying a metal baton (which was completely true, but defamiliarization was an interesting thing). _“Why?”_

“What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

Nino furrowed his brow. “What?”

“What if she doesn’t like me back?”

Nino shook his head. “Are you serious right now?”

“Yes,” Adrien said. “I’m afraid of asking her out only to be shot down.”

Nino blinked. “Adrien. I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“How do you know?”

Nino took a deep breath. “I just have a feeling she’ll say yes.”

Adrien bit his lower lip. “But there’s also…” he hesitated, trying to think of a way to word his problem without giving away too much information. “Well, I haven’t been completely honest with her in the past few months. There’s- um- something I haven’t told her, and I’m afraid she’ll be mad at me when she finds out about it.”

“Oh, you mean that you’re Chat Noir?”

“Yeah,” Adrien said, then froze, his eyes going wide as realization struck him. “Wait, no I- I mean-“

“Dude,” Nino said, grinning at him. “It’s okay. I’ve known since we were fourteen.”

Adrien’s mouth dropped open. “You- you _what?”_

“I accidentally saw you transform once,” he explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Nino shrugged. “I figured you wanted to tell me about it on your own time. But now, the issue is bigger than the fact that you’re Chat Noir: it’s that you’ve been visiting Marinette dressed as a furry with a leather kink, and now you’ve developed romantic feelings for her, but she still doesn’t know it’s you.”

Adrien felt his face grow red. “You know about _that,_ too?!”

“I was walking to the park with Alya one night when I saw you guys on her balcony,” he explained

“So, does Alya know, too?”

“No- I distracted her. She didn’t see. You guys should be more careful, though.”

Adrien sighed a breath of relief. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Y’know,” Nino said. “If you want my advice… I think you should tell her who you are and ask her to go out with you.”

Adrien looked up at him. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Nino said. “I mean, I can’t promise she won’t be mad at you for keeping it from her, but… she’s Marinette, y’know? I think she’ll be fine. Plus, you’d be absolutely _crazy_ not to at least try. I mean, she’s _Marinette.”_

Adrien hesitated. “What if… what if she doesn’t like me, though?”

Nino sighed and put his hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “Adrien, I _really_ don’t think you have to worry about that.”

“You think she’ll say yes?”

Nino gave him an encouraging smile. “I _know_ she’ll say yes.”

***

Chat’s heart pounded apprehensively as he landed on Marinette’s balcony.

Taking deep breaths, he hesitantly crouched next to the trapdoor and knocked. The door swung open after a couple of seconds.

“Hey, kitty,” Marinette smiled at him from inside her bedroom, then moved out of the way so he could enter.

“Hi, Princess,” he said nervously as he dropped onto her bed.

She looked over at him, her brow furrowed a bit. “Are you okay? You sound weird.”

“I- I’m fine,” he lied. “Just… tired.”

“Okay,” Marinette said slowly, climbing off her bed and moving toward her computer. “Do you want to play some video games? I just got-“

“Marinette,” he interrupted determinedly, standing from her bed and taking a deep breath in anticipation of what was about to happen. “I- I need to tell you something.”

She turned back to look at him, a concerned look on her face. “What is it? Are you okay?”

He nodded stiffly. “I’m okay, but…” he took another deep breath and looked into her eyes. “I… I have feelings for you.”

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned pink. “You… what?”

“I have feelings for you,” he repeated. “Like, romantic, more-than-friends feelings. Like, I want to be your boyfriend and go on dates and hold hands and kiss you. And I understand if you don’t feel the same way, but… I just had to tell you.”

She was silent for a moment, her expression unreadable. “Chat, I-“

“Wait,” he stopped her. “Before you react, I… there’s something else that I need to tell you.” He braced himself. “Plagg… claws in.”

There was a bright flash of green light, and then it was Adrien standing in Marinette’s bedroom instead of Chat Noir.

Marinette’s eyes grew wide. “A- Adrien?”

“Hi,” he said with a shy smile. “I- um- I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I know I shouldn’t have kept it from you, but… I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Marinette squeaked.

“Are you mad?” Adrien asked softly.

“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “Just… embarrassed.”

Adrien furrowed his brow. “Why?”

“You’ve… heard me say some things about you that I didn’t intend for you to hear.”

Adrien gave her a puzzled look.

“Would You Rather,” she explained, her cheeks flushing.

“Oh,” Adrien said, suddenly remembering the game they had played together a month ago. “Right, I- I forgot about that.”

They stood in awkward silence for a minute or so, neither sure what to say.

“So…” Adrien finally said slowly. “Again, I get it if you don’t like me back. You already told me weeks ago that you have a crush on someone from school, and-“

“You idiot,” Marinette interrupted him.

He stopped, looking at her in confusion. “What?”

She was shaking her head and smiling fondly at him. “I said you’re an idiot.”

He hesitated. “Why am I an idiot?”

“Because _you’re_ the guy I have a crush on, you dummy.”

He froze. “What?”

“When I told you that I had a crush on someone from my school, I was talking about _you._ That’s why I always act so weird around you.”

Adrien’s heart fluttered, and he could feel his cheeks grow warm. “You… you’re not acting weird right now.”

“Because now I know you’re Chat Noir,” she said.

His heart sank. “And… you don’t like me anymore?”

“No, no, that’s not it,” she assured him quickly. “Now I know you’re Chat Noir, the guy who’s spent more time in my bedroom than out of it in the past three months. You’re the guy I’ve been playing video games and goofing off with. I’m… _comfortable_ with you.” She took a deep breath. “You’re my partner. You’ve saved my life countless times, and I trust you.”

“Partner?” Adrien repeated, furrowing his brow. “But…” he stopped, his eyes going wide. “Wait. Marinette, you… you’re Ladybug?”

She offered him a shy smile. “Surprise?”

He laughed. “I really _am_ an idiot, aren’t I?”

She smiled fondly at him. “You are, but it’s one of the things I love about you. Plus, obviously I’m an idiot, too, or I would have realized that the guy I’ve been fawning over since I was thirteen was the same guy whose flirting I’ve been rejecting since I was thirteen.”

He blushed and smiled back at her. “Marinette… I’m so glad it’s you.”

Her smile grew wider. “I’m glad it’s you, too.”

“Do you- um…” he stuttered nervously. “Do you- maybe- want to go out with me?”

Her cheeks turned red. “I would love that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment with feedback and/or make a request! Thanks!
> 
> -Emma
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: [squishychatnoir ](http://squishychatnoir.tumblr.com)


End file.
